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Sarah has been an archivist at HSP since July 2011 and has worked on the Digital Center for Americana Project (Phase II), the Woodlands Cemetery Company collection, and the Bank of North America collection.

This Author's Posts

Lovingly Curated: the Batcheler, Hartshorne, and Sahlin Families Papers

Some of the collections here at HSP aren't just useful to genealogists -- they were created by genealogists. One of these is the Batcheler, Hartshorne, and Sahlin families papers (collection 3173), which span several generations and centuries. The collection was curated by Penelope (Penny) Hartshorne Batcheler (1928-2007), a Philadelphia restoration architect who was involved in the restoration of Independence Hall in the 1960s and many other local projects.

Roots & Branches: Genealogy at HSP

5/23/13

genealogical collections, Genealogy

Processing the Bank of North America collection

Philadelphia is a city of firsts, including both the first brick house and pianoforte built in the United States, as well as the first published treatise against slavery. So it shouldn't surprise anyone that Philadelphia was also home to the first chartered, national bank. The Bank of North America was initially founded by the Second Continental Congress in 1781 to help fund the expensive Revolutionary War, which was badly in need of money and supplies.

Fondly, Pennsylvania

3/11/13

Bank of North America

Cemetery Documents and You: The Afterlife of Burial Records

When archivists and records management types talk about documents, we often talk about their "life cycle." The life cycle of a document can be a complex system of users, creators, and formats, but at its most basic, the life cycle has two parts: 1) useful to original users for the original purpose and 2) not useful to original users for the original purpose. When a document enters the second phase of its life cycle -- its afterlife -- it becomes potential archival material.

Roots & Branches: Genealogy at HSP

9/14/12

19th century, 20th century, Genealogy, Woodlands cemetery

Comments: 2

What kinds of records does a cemetery keep, anyway?

One of the projects currently underway in the HSP archives is the processing of the Woodlands Cemetery Company records, which document the growth of the historic cemetery from its founding in the 1840s through the 1980s. Although still an active cemetery, the WCC has donated some of its records to HSP to be processed, conserved, cleaned, and permanently housed here.

Fondly, Pennsylvania

9/12/12

18th century, 19th century, 20th century, Architecture, Genealogy, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Woodlands cemetery

Comments: 1

How I spent my summer vacation, by Francis Daniel Pastorius (age 50)

Alternately, how you should spend your summer vacation, according to Pastorius.

In May:

Fondly, Pennsylvania

7/26/12

17th century, 18th century, Colonial period, Germantown Pastorius farming agriculture summer, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Science and Medicine

The Athena Tacha papers

(This blog post was co-authored by Digital Center of Americana II archives intern, Kyriakoula Micha.)

Fondly, Pennsylvania

6/7/12

20th century, 21st century, artists Greek, Arts and Culture, Education, Immigration, Women

On surprises in scrapbooks

I’m sure many of you have seen the “What I Do” meme that did the rounds a while back. The meme itself is old news, but I recently stumbled across a “What I Do” image for archivists this week on the Syracuse University’s Special Collections Research Center blog.

Fondly, Pennsylvania

4/13/12

19th century, Arts and Culture, Japanese ukiyo-e art

Comments: 1

Hartshorne family valentines

Happy Valentine's Day from various members of the Hartshorne and Batcheler families! All of the images below were found during the processing of the Batcheler, Hartshorne, and Sahlin families papers (collection 3173). These valentines have a little something for everyone: there are sweet valentines, handmade valentines, lace doilies, misspelled childrens' cards, a charming poem from wife to husband, and one card featuring open heart surgery.

Fondly, Pennsylvania

2/15/12

20th century, valentines

Conrad Weiser, Indian Affairs Agent (1696-1760)

Johann Conrad Weiser lived in Pennsylvania in the early 1700s and is mostly known for his role in shaping the history of colonial America through his work as an "Indian affairs agent." He lived quite a busy and remarkable life, although perhaps everyone who crossed an ocean to live on a continent entirely unknown for most of their culture’s history is worth marking more than once.

Fondly, Pennsylvania

11/10/11

18th century, American Revolution, Colonial period, Ethnic history, French and Indian War, Government and civics, Immigration, Native American, Pennsylvania

Comments: 3

Dad humor of the early 1900's

Phase two of HSP’s Digital Center for Americana Project is well underway. This project has the same broad goals of processing and creating digital access to collections as the pilot phase did, but this time around the focus is on ethnic history collections rather than the Civil War. The collections in DCA2 all come from families and individuals who were immigrants to the Philadelphia area, or groups which documented the lives of those immigrant families and communities.

Fondly, Pennsylvania

8/31/11

20th century, Pennsylvania, Women